Snacks and a half minute
So on December 27 an e-mail arrives from my buddy Shane:
“Since when did you decide to be subtle?”
When, indeed. So … apparently “we’re” pregnant! Ten weeks and one day’s-worth, to be precise. Thanks to those of you who have left comments here or sent us messages other ways.
We’re feeling happy and a little nervous, knowing there’s a significant chance Ana Lisa could be facing another round in the ring with that Tyson-esque-if-I-can’t -beat-ya-I’ll-take-a-chomp-out-of-your-ear bad boy, preeclampsia. Having had it so early and severely last time means she’s more likely than not to have it develop at some point during the pregnancy.
We’re pretty clear, therefore, that what we’ve embarked upon is a bit of a roll of the dice. We’re banking on the when to be more important than the whether. Preeclampsia as early and as severely as she had it is quite rare. Javid was born a micropreemie, on the very early side of survivability and with low birth weight because of the way preeclampsia restricts blood flow to the placenta. We’ve been told by both doctors and nurses that we “just don’t know” how different it is to work with a 24-weeker versus a baby born at 28 weeks and beyond. So if we can get past 30 weeks, say, we’ll probably be dancing the awkward-but-still-celebratory dance of two people raised in rhythm-starved Mennonite clutches!
Around about 20 weeks gestation, which is when preeclampsia can start to develop, the doctors will begin watching Ana Lisa much more closely. And the two of us now know the symptoms pretty, umm, intimately.
Another “fun” fact: Having had both fibroid surgery and a cesarean, Ana Lisa is at some risk of (can’t even write this without wincing) uterine rupture if she would go into labor. So even though the official due date is August 9, if we get that far she will have a C-section no later than 37 weeks, which would be middish-July.
Managing our own worries will of course be part of all this. The biggest question up to this point, of course, has been whether the baby will miscarry. You know, just normal pregnant-people worry. So far so good, little one! Make sure to get yourself a good grip.
The period between 20-30 weeks is when we’ll for sure have to come up with lots of strategies for distracting ourselves. Suggestions are welcome.
We certainly do seem to have landed ourselves a long way from any fantasies about an “ideal” pregnancy. If we can get through this with both Ana Lisa and the baby healthy at the end, anything beyond is a delicious treat.
Speaking of delicious treats, have you seen my wife? Ten weeks and beautiful, baby!
And as I’ve mentioned here before, living with mi vieja isn’t just about the eye candy. It also comes with a built-in entertainment system. Take the equation Ana-Lisa-Yoder-plus-pregnancy, for example, and you’ve got yourself some guaranteed fun for the masses.
Tasty snacks
“OhandthendidItellyoudiscoveredanewsnack?Ijusttooksometoastandputbutteronit- andthenalmondbutterthensomeblackberryjamanditwasaNEWSNACK!Itreallysticks- tomyribsandit’syyyummmmmmyyy!”
4 a.m. “Mmmmmm, nnn-mnn-huh?” Clatter clatter. “Mmmhnnnhnnh-mm-wha’s goin’ on down there?” Sheepish: “Ooops, sorry! Just getting a little snack.”
“I’m starting to get a little hungry.” (Ohhhhhh craaaapp. Surreptitious glance over for signs of imminent transformation into Mr. Hyde.) Casual voice: “Hey, what do you say we stop (fill in the blank with whatever and I mean whatEVER it is we happen to be doing at the moment) and go get some food RIGHT NOW.”
Keeping the gestatrix well fed and watered has become a bit of an obsession for both of us. I wish I could capture in a word picture the dreamy look that comes over Ana Lisa these days when she’s talking about food. At times she purrs, and at others she cackles and cavorts like Gollum.
The fridge has become our special friend. It’s all about the snacks.
Thirty seconds to…
Congratulate me. I deserve it, for inventing this particular game and somehow selling it to my wife in such a way that she thinks it’s funny.
The game is called “30 seconds to rage” and the rules are quite simple. Come over to our house, sit quietly, count slowly to 30, then tune in to the particular thing that has hacked off my dear wife in that half minute!
No please, don’t throw things at me! I know I know, it’s really inappropriate. But it’s just so … much … fun! And I have the particularly singular, extraordinary fortune to have hooked up with someone who–even when the pregnancy hormones have hijacked the vehicle and are hurtling toward a brick wall–is wont to pull up, have a curious smile steal across her face and look over at me to ask: “30 seconds?”
So the two of us getting pregnant again is, I suppose, a little like the skeleton who walks into a bar:
Bartender: “What’ll you have?”
Skeleton: “Give me a beer, and a mop.”
We don’t expect to make it through this without it maybe getting a bit messy. But we’re going to allow ourselves toss back a few cold ones while we wait (okay, not Ana Lis- oh, you know what I mean). And we’ll try to be as prepared as possible, while secretly hoping that this time there’s no need to go janitorial.
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January 12th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
I found your blog through Sara Cohen’s (from the ICN). We also had our babies at Pennsy—they were born at 23 weeks. We lost one of our daughters at 18 days but the other is home and doing well. I read all of Javid’s story the other night with tears in my eyes. He was such an amazing spirit and such a fighter.
I wanted to drop a line to congratulate you on your pregnancy and let you know that I am sending vibes to all higher powers out there for this pregnancy to be a long, uneventful one that ends in mid July with a nice, uncomplicated C-section.
Peace.
Abby, Sharon, and Hallie
January 13th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Still so excited for you and cannot wait to read more! Keep up the laughs and the nourishment, you two deserve this!